Automatically-controlled headlight for cars.



WINFIELD S. XVALTZ, OF MEDINA, OHIO.

AUTOMATICALLY-CONTROLLED HEADLIGHT FOR CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. '7, 1911.

Application led July 1B, 1910. Serial No. 572,434.

' following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatically controlledheadlights for cars, and is adapted to be used on all individuallypropelled cars Whether for city or interurban service, and is animprovement upon the headlight patented to me on the 30th day of March,1909, No. 916,639.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures l, 2 and 3 are somewhatdiagrammatic views of the invention on a considerably reduced scaleshowing .a track and a pair of trucks 'and the outline of a car bodythereon and my improved headlight mechanism connected therewith. In Fig.2 the car is shown as lstarting to round a curve, and in Fig. 3 the caris on the full'curve, thus showing the `relatively different angles thebody of the car assumes to the trucks in passing from a straight trackto a curve and While rounding the same. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sideelevation of the immediate supports for the light mounted on a portionof the car body, and Fig. 5 is a front. view of said supports. Fig. G isa plan View of Fig. 5.

In the patent above mentioned I show an automatically controlledheadlight supported upon the front ofa' car body and operated from thetruck, and in this partielllar alone there is no material difference inimprovement herein, but in the said patent there is but a single springin the light controlling mechanism, Whereas in the present case thereare two springs and other novel features. I have found that a single sring in a mechanism of this kind is not sufficient to hold alamp steadyas against allthe incidental movements or motions that come to it andwhich are calculated to cause it to Waver and vibrateand to be otherwisedisturbed. Of course there is more or less constant relative movementbetween the car body and the truck in travel and generally owing tounevenncss in the track and to other conditions which are liable to Workout in a swinging or lurching movement of the body of the car. New, anylamp supporting mechanism which will impart these unfavorableconditionsto the lamp isi deemed to be eXceedingly faulty and should beremedied. Rather it is important that a lamp should hold a steadyposition and shed an even light on the track, and hence not participatein the movements of the car more than is unavoidable. Of course beinglocated upon the car body it ivi-ll necessarilypax`- take more or lessof the movements thereof, but such movements in themselves are notliable to be the chief disturbing cause of a steady light. The rea-ltrouble occurs When the play of the car becomes magnified in the lamp,and this trouble arises especially in faulty lamp supports.

The present invention, therefore7 has in view the steadiness of the lampunder all operating conditions as Well as simplicity in construction andcertainty in the operation. To th'ese ends I mount a lamp L upon avertically disposed rod or shaft S, and the said shaft is mountedV uponthe immediate front of the car body A, Fig. 4, by means of a bracket B.A front border frame F made up out of a suitably stiff piece of sheetmetal is affixed to the shaft S top and bottom by means of cross bars 2which are bolted to said shaft above and below its bearings in saidbracket and a collar C fixed on the shaft rests upon" the bracket andholds the said shaft in position vertically. The bracket B is of courserigidly bolted to the car body, and a comparatively strong spirallyWound spring 3 is mounted upon said shaft and fixed thereto at one endWhile the other.end is engaged with bracket B. Top cross bar 2 of theframe 4F has a long loop 4 at its front into Which the lamp is adaptedto be hooked and carried, and the spring 3 is designed 'to exert anormal tension to What may be called the left of the direction of travel`of the car so that if the car were to stand on a straight track as inFig. 3 and there were nothing to the contrary the said spring in thisinstance against'or away from the tension or pull of the spring 5 fixedon truck T andseen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Fur thermore the shaft S isprovided with a lateral arm a at its bottom and a cord, cable or chain 6is atliXed to the extremity of said arm and passes over a sheave orpulleyl 7 on the bottom of the car and thence connects with the saidspiral spring 5.

The pull of sprin 5 is directly against or opposite to the ten ency orWind of spring 3 and the `two springs are so related and would turn thelamp to the left and iio ' the body of the car and truck respectivelycontinue therein until it is deiected by reason of the car taking acurve and in which shift positions to right or left relatively and so onas .the road may run. It has been found, however, that in order that thelamp shall always turn with the car and shed its rays along the track ona curve Whether. to the right or left, that there should also be a limitor stop in either direction and to this end I have provided stops in thecable 6 beyond which the said cable cannot turn or run in its turning ofthe lamp either Way. Said cable, therefore, has two st-ops 8 and 9respectively, and whenA a curve to the right is made the stop 8 comesinto limiting position as against spring 5, While if the car turns to'the left the spring 9 limits against the tension of the spring 3, butotherwise and with a normal or straight forward position of the car androad thetwo springs not only play one against the other and hold thelamps in a balanced or poised front position but they serve especiallyto absorb or neutralize any vibrations or shakings or other unfavorablemovements which would make the lamp unsteady. I find that with twosprings acting one against the other in -this `way I get an exceedinglysteady light however the car may toss and turn and bev shaken about inits travel and Which would be impossible if the springs were not relatedin vthis Way and did not perform the essential and important functionot' steadying the light and relieving it of vibration.

A further very important advantage of springs 5 and 3 and limiting stops8 and 9 is to be found in the perfect setting of the lamp at the properangle to throw the light rays on the curve at the very beginningv of theturning of the car and Without shift or change thereafter as the carcontinues to round the curve'. To understand this fully reference is hadlto Figs. 1, 2 and Sgh In Fig. l the light is alined, straight rwith thestraight track. As soon as the first truck T strikes'the curve the lightis turned to its greatest degree of angle in respect to the car, say asseen in Fig. 2. The same angle of the lam is shown in Fig. .3, althoughthe car is furt er advanced on the curve and has shifted its angularrelation\to the truck T. Stopv 8 as hereinbefore stated limits this playof lamp L, but if it werel not for sprin 5, this result could not be hadas the cor or chain 6 is attached to truck T and the additional sweep ofthe truck (from the position of the car in Fig. 2 to that ofv Fig. 3)Would either break the connections, or 1f no stop 8 were used, wouldthrow the lamp to a different angle from that most desired. Briefly,spring-5 will yield and stretch as truck T continues to turn to itsmaximum angle in respect to the car body after its first or initialshift upon striking the curve and after lamp L has been turned to itsdesired angle. Arm a is short and has a series of openings --10-A at itsfree end (see dotted lines, Fig. 6) to which cable or chain (-isattached nearer to or at a greater distance from shaft S to not onlycha-nge the arc movement of the lamp but also the rapidity of itsmovement as compared with the turn of the truck vT. Obviously, only ashort turn or change of position of thcl truck to the car `body willthrow lamp L to the limit of its movement as defined by stops 8 and 9,and this is inyaim and object, and then .any further turn of the truckis taken care of in cable or chain't by spring 5. If the vturn is in thereverse direction to that shown in Figs. 2 and 3, spring 3 85 and stop 9turn and limit lamp L in the 4same manner as in the other case, butspring -5 now simply acts to take up the slack in the cable or chain (lbetween the' truck and sheave or pulley 7. However, if the slack9oshould become excessive and beyond control of spring 5, no change inetlect is had at the lamp as it is under complete cont-rol at this timeof spring 3 and stop 9.

What I claim is:

' 1. The combination With a car truck and body of a head-light adaptedto turn with turns in a road, a vertically mounted shaft carrying saidlight and a spiral spring thereon, a spring connected with said truckand a cable connecting the same operatively with said shaft, a sheaveover1 which said cable runs and stops in said cable to limit therotation of said shaft;

2. A car body and a'truck, a headlight on 105 the said body andoperating means 4for said light. including two springs arranged to actoppositely to each other with the said light under the constant tensionof bothsprings, a shaft carrying the light and one of said springsthereon and an arm rigid with said shaft, and the other of said. springsoperatively connected with the said truck and with the said arm.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature 11.5.

